Welcome to The Socialist Program. This is the audio of our monthly seminar.

Subscribe and support this programming at patreon.com slash the Socialist Program to join live once a

month and ask Brian Becker your questions and listen to them as soon as they come out.

Thanks so much for your help in keeping this independent show going.

We can make this program with you,

but not without you. So just a word or two about Cuba, I'm happy that we were able to turn,

as we have on other occasions and focused on an event that was unfolding right in front of us in the last two weeks,

ever since the July 11th protests took place in Cuba.

Since that time, there have been massive demonstrations in support of the revolution.

No one minimizes the real challenges and struggles that ordinary Cubans are facing.

The shortages are so profound compared to even two or three years ago,

partly because of COVID, but in addition to COVID,

which meant the loss of most of the tourist dollars, the U.S. has so tightened the blockade

that Trump's additional 243 coercive measures that Biden so far hasn't lifted.

And most importantly, the remittances that come from Cuban families outside of Cuba that provide

Cubans with dollars, you can't really overstate how people are suffering.

The Cuban Revolution suffered a great deal after the loss of the socialist-block countries

and the Soviet Union.

So suddenly they had no aid, they had no trade,

their entire industry and infrastructure was based on

equipment and materials coming from other socialist countries.

All of that dried up overnight.

...